STILLWATER – The Saratoga National Park and Battlefield, located between exit 4 and 32 in Stillwater, is hosting a free, family event showcasing the making of common items before the industrial revolution. Artificer’s Weekend will show visitors how tools and goods were made in the eighteenth century this Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12.
An artificer in the eighteenth century was a tradesman who worked with armies to provide needed supplies to soldiers. Armies in the American Revolution were towns on the move and included important craftsmen like blacksmiths, farriers, tailors, chandlers and tinsmiths.
At the event, visitors will see how blacksmiths made and repaired iron and steel products, how farriers made horseshoes and took care of horses’ health and how tinsmiths made and fixed cups, bowls and lanterns. There will also be tailors, who sewed soldiers’ uniforms, and woodworkers who built boxes, benches and tool handles, plus many more jobs that were required for a successful army.
Event is free, but battlefield entrance fees apply. For more information about this or other events, please call the visitor center at 518-670-2985 or go to www.nps.gov/sara.
